Sapiens : : a Brief History of Humankind

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"From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution--a #1 international bestseller--that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human." One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one--homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas .Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Human History submitted by sdunav on July 5, 2016, 5:19pm Interesting history - somewhat anthropological, but with a historian's idiosyncratic writing style and some out-there opinions. I got bogged down in the chapters on the rise of capitalism and banking but powered through and was glad I did. The chapters on the origins of agriculture and empires were pretty well done.

This book is incredible submitted by Miriam Wasserman on July 14, 2018, 11:39am I loved this book, I couldn't put it down. Very interesting, and makes you think about how the world around us became the worlds around us. This book offers a new perspective on things that we have never really thought about before. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good read.

Interesting, but not amazing submitted by kittenkat101 on August 9, 2019, 10:32am This book starts out strong with a fascinating interpretation of how prehistorical humans evolved and formed societies. The latter portion of this book seems less-well researched--the author delves into economics, religion, etc. without seeming to fully understand the concepts he is discussing. It was worth reading and I enjoyed it, but became frustrated with the last 1/3 of the book.

Meh submitted by emaelshaikh on August 18, 2022, 2:18pm I don't get the hype. It's really quite an ordinary narrative with no new information

Enjoying it. submitted by Ania Wolf on June 9, 2023, 11:37am I am enjoying reading this book so far. I have not finished it yet, but I am intrigued by what I am learning.

Interesting with a grain of salt submitted by steeny17 on June 14, 2023, 2:30pm Sapiens is definitely worth the read, but be prepared to check his sources and keep an eye out for hasty generalization fallacies. Even so, I recommend this book as there are few books that are so comprehensive in scope and engaging in style. As others have said, there is also certainly some dramatic simplification of complex ideas throughout, and especially in the last 1/3 of the book.

Wow submitted by vclinton on August 1, 2023, 8:05am This book kind of changed my entire outlook on life.

Educational submitted by akrrr08 on August 3, 2023, 12:12pm Great book on the history of humankind. It is very comprehensive and easy to understand with some humor sprinkled in.